A section of the roof and entrance porch of Delhi Town Hall in Chandni Chowk collapsed after heavy rain, prompting the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to seal the area and stop movement around the damaged structure. The incident took place at night on Saturday, and no casualties were reported.
The collapse damaged the entrance severely, with officials indicating that the affected portion may need to be rebuilt rather than repaired. The surrounding walls are also considered unsafe and could still give way. The MCD has barricaded the area and placed warnings advising people not to pass near the structure.
The historic building was closed but was being used to store electronic voting machines for municipal elections. Personnel from the Nagaland Police were also staying on the premises to guard the equipment. The fact that the collapse occurred at night helped avoid a larger safety incident, according to the report.
An MCD official said debris removal was under way after the roof and beams fell. Some debris and beams have already been cleared, but removing the material from the entire affected section could take several days. Fire department officials have also been present at the site, while access around the entrance porch remains restricted as a precaution.
Delhi Town Hall is a Grade-1 protected heritage building, and its maintenance is the responsibility of the MCD. The corporation operated from the building for about 145 years, from 1866 until 2011-12, when its headquarters shifted to the Civic Centre. Since then, the building has remained caught between repeated redevelopment proposals and prolonged administrative delay.
Plans have included converting the property into a restaurant, a museum and a heritage hotel. The former North Delhi Municipal Corporation prepared a heritage hotel proposal in 2018, but the project was shelved after it failed to attract interest. In 2022, the Union Ministry of Culture reportedly expressed interest in taking the building on a 33-year lease to develop a museum, library, research centre and restaurant. That plan stalled over revenue-sharing issues.
In 2024, the MCD reached an agreement with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts to preserve 162 years of rare documents and artefacts held by the corporation and to develop the press-building section as a municipal museum. The plan, however, did not prevent the building from continuing to deteriorate.
The Delhi government announced in its April 2026 budget that it would take up the property and develop it as an international tourism centre. In September, the Delhi government and the MCD signed an agreement to develop the Town Hall as a Global Heritage Centre. According to an MCD official, the Delhi government’s tourism department will now take the project forward. The immediate priority remains clearing the debris and keeping people away from the unstable entrance area.
